Mark Your Calendar!
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Executive Director
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
For many of us, the holiday season is a time to re-connect with friends and family with whom we’ve been out of touch. When I was a child, we always received at least one “Christmas Letter,” containing one family’s story of the prior year. Typical Christmas Letters were full of glad tidings… such as a teen’s early acceptance to an Ivy League university or the parent’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize! The Christmas Letters of my childhood were, in some respects, like today’s funding proposal. In my family we often joked about sending a Christmas Letter filled with imaginary tales of woe—such as a relative’s recent imprisonment or a child’s failing grades. Somehow we resisted the urge to spoof the Christmas Letter tradition and continued to send a more traditional card offering holiday wishes.
In addition to providing a time to boast about the year that has nearly passed or sigh with relief that a difficult period will soon be history, the end of the year—and the short break from our regular work schedule—should be more than just a time to come up for air. It’s an ideal time to reflect on the important partnerships that sustain our nonprofit organizations. One example is the relationship with your insurance agent or broker. The Center’s point of view is that a nonprofit’s insurance professional—typically an agent or broker— should be a valued partner in mission fulfillment. The work performed by your insurance partner should be key to helping your nonprofit pursue programs and services that deliver your mission to the community. An effective insurance advisor provides sage counsel about the risks you face, candid feedback on your insurance needs, and helpful referrals to practical loss prevention tools and resources.
Consider the following criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of your insurance partner:
- Responsiveness
- Timeliness
- Credibility
- Commitment
- Claims Handling
- Accuracy
- Results
One approach to evaluating your broker is to assign 0-10 points in each of the categories above. After assigning scores in each of these categories, schedule a meeting (in early 2009!) to discuss your assessment. Invite your agent or broker to outline the services and support they are able to provide in the year ahead. Describe your concerns about areas where performance has fallen below “good” (perhaps 8 points, using the 0-10) scale.
Like any relationship, your partnership with an insurance professional is a two-way street. It requires equal measures of candor and a shared understanding of the goals and respective responsibilities of the parties. It’s a great time of year to give thanks for the blessings of support and participation of the year that will soon be history. It’s also a great time to take a closer look at the relationships that make your mission possible.
We’re counting our blessings at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. We are grateful to the nearly 10,000 subscribers to our enews and Risk Management Essentials newsletter, and to every leader who attended one of our training programs or purchased a web product or book in 2008. We’re also deeply thankful to the nonprofit leaders who engaged the Center to help address specific risk management challenges. We look forward to serving you in the months and years ahead.
As always, don’t hesitate to call us at 703.777.3504. or contact me via email if we can be of service.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
— Pamela Mattel, Basics Promesa Systems Inc
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!